Have you ever sat and just looked straight up a tree? If you enjoy time outdoors and love the greens of summer, it’s a worthwhile exercise to engage in every once in a while. I spent a bit of time doing just that earlier this week. I’d gone outside to watch birds, but during a lull in the birding, I found myself staring right up the trunk of the live oak tree (Quercus virginiana) that I was sitting under. I watched the smaller branches and green leaves sway gently in the breeze while bits of blue sky showed through. It was almost hypnotic and felt very peaceful. In its own way, it was a very similar feeling to a successful meditation session. I almost hated to turn my attention back to the birds when I heard a pair of Carolina chickadees chattering away at each other as they fluttered into the feeding station. If you’ve never done this before, consider trying it. Just find a comfortable place to relax, follow the tree trunk upward, and see what you see and feel.